Modern vehicles (e.g., automobiles, watercraft, aircraft, trucks, motorcycles, agricultural machinery, industrial machinery, etc.) typically include a plurality of electro-mechanical systems that, together, allow for operation of the vehicle. For example, modern vehicles commonly include sophisticated transmission systems, fuel injection systems, anti-lock braking systems, air bag deployment systems, air-conditioning/heating systems, dashboard electronic systems, etc. Typically, each of these electro-mechanical systems is controlled using a separate vehicular computing system that utilizes a distinct communications protocol. Unfortunately, even vehicular computing systems located in the same vehicle do not generally utilize a common communications protocol to transmit data.
In view of the above, a device known as a vehicle communication interface (VCI) has been developed. The VCI is typically electronically connected to a vehicle and is configured to exchange data with a plurality of vehicular computing systems located within the vehicle. The VCI is also typically connected to and configured to exchange data with a vehicular diagnostic tool (i.e., a scan tool). The vehicular diagnostic tool, in turn, is designed to provide a mechanic or technician working on the vehicle (e.g., in a workshop or garage environment) with human-readable information about the status of one or more of the plurality of vehicular computing systems in the vehicle.
When in operation, the VCI typically communicates with the plurality of vehicular computing systems using a plurality of appropriate communication protocols. However, the VCI communicates with the vehicular diagnostic tool using a single communications protocol, which may differ from all of the protocols used by the vehicular computing systems. In effect, the VCI acts as a communication protocol translating mechanism between the vehicular computing systems and the vehicular diagnostic tool. As such, the VCI facilitates the flow of data from the plurality of vehicular computing systems to the vehicular diagnostic tool by providing the data forwarded by the vehicular computing system in a format useable/readable by the vehicular diagnostic tool.
Although most currently available VCI/vehicular diagnostic tool combinations are configured to be connected to each other via physical cables (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables), some wireless VCl/vehicular diagnostic tool combinations are also currently available. However, in the currently available wireless combinations, both the VCI and the vehicular diagnostic tool must be manually pre-configured to recognize each other's respective Internet Protocol (IP) addresses before they may begin communicating with each other. This manual pre-configuration is relatively time-consuming, requires knowledge about wireless networks that is often not possessed by the mechanic or technician using the vehicular diagnostic tools (i.e., is relatively complex) and limits the ability to add, substitute or remove either a VCI or a vehicular diagnostic tool from the resultant wireless network.